The New England Patriots will make their return to prime time this week, hosting the New York Giants at Gillette Stadium in what will be the their first Monday Night Football game since the 2022 season. The team of head coach Mike Vrabel is entering the contest off an NFL-best nine straight wins, trying to improve to 11-2 on the year and stay ahead of its competitors in the AFC.
In order to do so, however, they will have to beat a Giants team that, despite only winning two games so far, has plenty
of talent on both sides of the ball. Let’s take a closer look.
Giants key stats
Over the weekend, the Giants become the first team in the NFL officially eliminated from playoff contention. Dropping to 2-10 because of an overtime loss to the Detroit Lions, it is easy to dismiss them as one of the worst teams in football, but as a look at their numbers shows, the situation is more complex than that — even though that did not prevent them from firing head coach Brian Daboll earlier this month.
Record: 2-10 (4th NFC West)
Scoring differential: -70 (27th)
Turnover differential: -6 (t-26th)
Offense: 22.0 points/game (22nd), 348.5 yards/game (11th), 13 giveaways (t-13th), 0.051 EPA/play (12th), 0.122 EPA/dropback (12th), -0.053 EPA/run (18th)
Defense: 27.8 points/game (30th), 385.0 yards/game (30th), 7 takeaways (30th), 0.149 EPA/play (31st), 0.124 EPA/dropback (23rd), 0.193 EPA/run (32nd)
The Giants’ season so far is a tale of two units. The offense, despite starting three different quarterbacks and missing their No. 1 running back and wide receiver, has performed at a surprisingly solid level so far: while New York is still only ranked 22nd in points per game, the group is above average in multiple categories — not exactly what you would expect from a two-win team 12 seasons in.
The defense, however, is a different story (which led to coordinator Shane Bowen recently following Daboll on the chopping block). The unit has been abysmal against the run so far, ranking worst in the NFL in yards, yards per attempt, and EPA per carry. The pass defense has performed slightly better, but still not at a level that would allow New York to take advantage of an at-times good offense.
Giants 2025 season
The Giants have been competitive this year, but as a look at their games so far shows it has not translated to a lot of winning.
Week 1: 21-6 loss at Washington Commanders (0-1)
Week 2: 40-37 (OT) loss at Dallas Cowboys (0-2)
Week 3: 22-9 loss vs. Kansas City Chiefs (0-3)
Week 4: 21-18 win vs. Los Angeles Chargers (1-3)
Week 5: 26-14 loss at New Orleans Saints (1-4)
Week 6: 34-17 win vs. Philadelphia Eagles (2-4)
Week 7: 33-32 loss at Denver Broncos (2-5)
Week 8: 38-20 loss at Philadelphia Eagles (2-6)
Week 9: 34-24 loss vs. San Francisco 49ers (2-7)
Week 10: 24-20 loss at Chicago Bears (2-8)
Week 11: 27-20 loss vs. Green Bay Packers (2-9)
Week 12: 34-27 (OT) loss at Detroit Lions (2-10)
After starting out 0-3, the Giants went on to beat two playoff hopefuls in a three-week span to move to 2-4 on the year. However, that momentum was not maintained. They lost four in a row before Brian Daboll was fired, and have since gone 0-2 under his successor, interim Mike Kafka.
One common theme for the Giants so far this season is their inability to hold onto leads. In their 10 losses, they have blown five double-digit leads — including a 19-0 advantage after three quarters over the Broncos in Week 7. This team could be 7-5 if it knew how to close out games, but doing so is a crucial skill required for sustained success in the NFL, and one these Giants have not shown they possess.
Giants active roster
Roster up-to-date as of Nov. 26, 5 a.m. ET | *denotes nominal starter
Quarterback (3): Jaxson Dart* (6), Jameis Winston (19), Russell Wilson (3)
Running back (3): Tyrone Tracy Jr.* (29), Devin Singletary (26), Eric Gray (20)
Wide receiver (5): Wan’Dale Robinson* (17), Darius Slayton* (18), Isaiah Hodgins* (89), Gunner Olszewski (80 | KR/PR), Jalin Hyatt (13)
Tight end (3): Theo Johnson* (84), Daniel Bellinger (82), Chris Manhertz (85)
Offensive tackle (4): Andrew Thomas* (78 | LT), Jermaine Eluemunor* (72 | RT), Marcus Mbow (71), James Hudson III (55)
Interior offensive line (5): Jon Runyan* (76 | LG), John Michael Schmitz Jr.* (61 | C), Greg Van Roten* (74 | RG), Austin Schlottmann (65), Aaron Stinnie (64)
Interior defensive line (5): Dexter Lawrence II* (97), Roy Robertson-Harris* (95), Rakeem Nuñez-Roches Sr.* (93), Darius Alexander (91), D.J. Davidson (98)
Defensive edge (5): Brian Burns* (0), Abdul Carter (51), Kayvon Thibodeaux* (5), Chauncey Golston (57), Victor Dimukeje (52)
Linebacker (4): Bobby Okereke* (58), Zaire Barnes (46), Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (33), Neville Hewitt (47)
Cornerback (6): Paulson Adebo* (21), Cor’Dale Flott* (28), Dru Phillips* (22), Deonte Banks (2), Korie Black (38), Nic Jones (31), Jarrick Bernard-Converse (35), Rico Payton (36)
Safety (4): Tyler Nubin* (27), Jevon Holland* (8), Dane Belton (24), Beau Brade (34)
Specialists (3): Younghoe Koo (37 | K), Jamie Gillan (12 | P/H), Casey Kreiter (59 | LS)
The biggest question for the Giants heading into Week 13 is who their starting quarterback will be, first-round draft pick Jaxson Dart or veteran backup Jameis Winston. Under normal circumstances, Dart would be their guy, but he has missed back-to-back games after sustaining a concussion; Winston, an offseason free agency pickup who started the season as QB3, has performed decently in his two starts.
If Dart returns to the lineup, as is expected, the Patriots would go up against a quarterback who has shown promise since overtaking veteran Russell Wilson on the depth chart. In his seven starts, Dart completed 128 of 204 pass attempts (62.7%) for 1,417 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions, positing an EPA of 0.183 per dropback good enough for ninth in the NFL over that particular span.
However is starting on Monday, however, will have to operate without the Giants’ top two weapons. Running back Cam Skattebo and wide receiver Malik Nabers are both out for the season due to injury. Replacing them in the lineup are Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Wan’Dale Robinson, respectively: a versatile back, Tracy Jr. has touched the ball 124 times for 604 yards and a touchdown this season; Robinson has been on the receiving end of 66 passes that he took for 794 yards and three scores.
The two will be complemented in the starting lineup by the likes of Darius Slayton (24-366-0), Isaiah Hodgins (7-99-1) and tight end Theo Johnson (39-427-5). They will line up alongside an offensive line that has surrendered 34 sacks this season and allowed New York’s ground game to average 4.1 yards per carry, 22nd in the NFL.
On the other side of the ball, the Giants are being led by standout defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Even though he has only registered half a sack this season, Lawrence is one of the most disruptive interior defensive linemen the Patriots are going to face.
The challenge for New England’s injury-stricken offensive line do not stop there, however. Brian Burns has registered 13 sacks this year and is leading the team with 39 total quarterback disruptions. Right behind him is first-round draft pick Abdul Carter, who also has just 0.5 sacks to his name but has notched 38 pressures on the year. Add another former first-rounder, Kayvon Thibodeaux (2.5 sacks, 32 pressures), to the mix, and you get as talented a front as you will find on the Patriots’ schedule this year.
How they and indeed the rest of the defense will be used in Game 1 after defensive coordinator Shane Bowen will be seen. However, the disruptive potential up front cannot be denied and is something the team’s secondary has not quite been able to match in 2025.
Giants reserves
Practice squad (16): RB Dante Miller (25), WR Dalen Cambre (83), WR Ray-Ray McCloud (88), WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette (87), TE Zach Davidson (39), OT Reid Holskey (67), OL Bryan Hudson (60), OL Jake Kubas (63), DT Elijah Chatman (94), ED Tarce Ford (48), ED Tomon Fox (45), ED Jordon Riley (99), LB Swayze Bozeman (54), CB Myles Purchase (15), S Raheem Layne (43), K Ben Sauls (30)
Practice squad exempt (1): TE Maximilian Mang
IR (14): RB Cam Skattebo, WR Beaux Collins, WR Da’Quan Felton, WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton, WR Malik Nabers, TE Thomas Fidone, OL Joshua Ezeudu (IR-R), RG Evan Neal, LB Chris Board, LB Micah McFadden, LB Darius Muasau, CB Art Green, CB T.J. Moore, K Graham Gano
PUP (1): S Anthony Johnson Jr.
The Giants have some big names on their injured reserve list, starting with the aforementioned Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo. The two were the team’s top two skill position options before knee and ankle injuries, respectively, forced them onto season-ending injured reserve. Joining them on the list are two starter-level linebackers, Micah McFadden and Darius Muasau, as well as kicker Graham Gano and core special teamer Chris Board.
Giants coaching staff
Head coach: Mike Kafka (interim)
Coordinators: Tim Kelly (OC/interim), Charlie Bullen (DC/interim), Michael Ghobrial (SC)
As mentioned above, after a 2-8 start and 20-40-1 overall record during his tenure with the organization, the Giants parted ways with head coach Brian Daboll in early November. Mike Kafka underwent the metamorphosis from offensive coordinator to interim HC, with tight ends coach Tim Kelly taking over Kafka’s old role as offensive coordinator.
Defensively, outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen was promoted in light of Shane Bowen’s dismissal. Monday will mark the first ever game in the 41-year-old’s coaching career serving as a defensive coordinator. The challenge — Josh McDaniels, Drake Maye and company — will be immense even considering New England’s injury woes.
